A first look at Windows 10X – An OS with two faces

There have been rumors about Windows Core OS since at least 2017. Microsoft has been working for years on a basis for Windows on which it can base all kinds of variants of the operating system. That base is now partly there. The various Windows 10 variants, such as those for PCs, the Internet of Things, the Xbox One and the Surface Hub, have common elements, but they remain fundamentally different operating systems. With a universal core and modular additions, Microsoft would be able to respond much more quickly to new types of products, with Windows versions optimized specifically for those systems.

Microsoft hasn’t officially revealed anything about Core OS yet, but from a LinkedIn page of one of its employees, spotted by Windows Latest , it became clear early this year that Core OS will form the basis for future iterations of Windows 10, Windows Mixed Reality and the Xbox. Microsoft may be quiet about Core OS, but the first result of that strategy was the software of the HoloLens 2 , which unlike the first HoloLens does not run Windows 10 Holographic. In October last year, the company then announced the Surface Neo. This is Microsoft’s development of a category of devices with two large touchscreens. The company has been playing with this idea since at least 2009, at the time under the name Courier. A device with two touchscreens is typically such a system that Windows 10 is not made for. At the same time as the Surface Neo, Microsoft announced a new derivative of Core OS: Windows 10X.

The software is mainly intended for dual screens , but Microsoft seems to be thinking about use for regular laptops , judging by leaked documents. Microsoft obviously showed the operation of Windows 10X on the Surface Neo, but the company has now also released a public preview so that developers can already develop apps for the software. The image of Windows 10X can be used in combination with the Microsoft Emulator. Users must be running the latest insider build of the 64-bit version of Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, and must have at least an Intel quad-core, 8GB of ram, and 15GB of free storage. In addition, they must have Hyper-V enabled in the Windows components.

Microsoft dumps Win32 programs in a container

Perhaps the most significant change of Windows 10X from Windows 10 is under the hood. The operating system introduces a new type of container, in addition to the existing containers for msix and uwp apps within Windows. Windows 10X runs all applications in containers, including the ‘old’ Win32 programs. The Win32 container runs separately as a guest OS within Windows 10X with its own kernel, registry, and drivers. The container can be thought of as a virtual machine, but with deeper integration with its Windows 10X host. All Win32 programs that a user opens run within the single Win32 container, and the msix containers also run within this environment. The Universal Windows Platform apps run natively on Windows 10X in their own separate containers, just like on Windows 10.

The advantage of running Win32 software within the guest OS is that Windows 10X is still compatible with all existing Win32 software, while Microsoft no longer has to consider that compatibility for the base Windows so that the company base can be optimized and made more efficient. There are also disadvantages because the container does not support hardware for which the drivers are not already standard in Windows. Also, Win32 programs will now be allocated fewer resources if no windows are visible and no resources at all if no windows are open. This, therefore, has major consequences for programs that run in the background within Windows 10. In fact, there is no system tray in Windows 10Xmore for applications running in the background.

We used the software emulator for this preview. There are also ways to run the image on hardware, but it’s not easy. Nevertheless, developers have managed to get Windows 10X working on the Surface Go and a MacBook , for example.

Two screens are better than one

By default, the emulator displays Windows 10X on two separate screens in portrait mode, side by side, but the display can be adjusted to landscape and the separate screens can also be displayed single. Microsoft believes users can be more productive with two screens. Applications can be displayed entirely across the two screens for a large view, or they can provide different functionality on one screen than the other, such as a video on one and a list of other videos on the other. In addition, of course, two different apps can run side by side, whether or not from the same developer, who can then connect the apps to each other. Websites can also be adapted to make optimal use of two screens.

Windows 10X shows a kind of taskbar on both screens. By default, both taskbars have a start button and a taskview button. The start button does not open a start menu in the classic sense of that part, but a launcher with the apps present on the system and a list of recently opened documents. In addition, the launcher has a search function, which can search not only on the system but also online.

At first glance, the settings menu is very similar to that of Windows 10, but if you look at each item individually, it turns out that there is much less to adjust than with that software. It is possible that Microsoft will gradually expand the possibilities. For example, there is already an option for a dark mode.

The time is shown with an icon on the right screen. On mouse-over the icon shows the term ‘Action Center’, but when opened a window appears with the name ‘Quick Settings’. The volume and screen brightness can be set in this window. There are also some frequently used functions here, such as activating bluetooth and setting a rotation lock. You will also find references to the general settings and to the shutdown and restart screen.

An app, like Edge on Chromium, opens to a single screen by default. The app can be dragged and dropped, with a preview window indicating how Windows 10X will display the app when released: on one screen, on the other, or spread across both screens. In the latter case, the ugly hinge gets in the way and that display will often not be ideal. That is why Microsoft is busy getting developers excited about the concept; ideally, an app or site uses the second screen functionally. Microsoft itself sets a good example with the Sticky Notes app, which shows a list of the notes you’ve created on one screen and an open note for editing on the other.

Apps take up one, two or no screens, so they are not floating windows by default, as in Windows 10. As soon as you open more than one app, thumbnail versions of different open windows can be seen on the taskbar. In addition, Task View can be used for a full-screen overview of open applications and windows. Open applications can be pinned to the taskbar, so you can open them quickly.

A highly simplified Explorer

One of the Windows 10X components that differs substantially from the Windows 10 variant is the File Explorer. This has been greatly simplified and by default only provides access to the user’s documents, such as downloads, music, images and video, and therefore no longer, for example, to the Windows components. By default, the Explorer shows a list of recently opened files and there is also an overview of document folders with a search function. Basic functions such as drag ‘n drop, and copy and paste are present, but it is not much more and it all seems to be a work in progress. For example, you cannot open two Explorers to drag files and folders back and forth. In any case, the functionality of the Explorer is in stark contrast to the extensive options of Windows 10’s Explorer.

Incidentally, the old folder structure is still partly present, as part of the Win32 container. If you open a Win32 app such as Notepad and want to save your writing, you will see the familiar Windows environment inside the container, including the contents of the local disk containing the Windows files that reside as part of the guest OS . Windows 10X is such a two-faced operating system, which allows you to get into the host OS one time and the guest OS the other, depending on the application used.

The Wonder Bar

During the presentation of the Surface Neo, Microsoft showed how a small keyboard on the lower touchscreen can be placed in ‘laptop mode’. That keyboard does not cover the entire screen, but leaves a part visible. The intention is that Windows 10X can display functions on that part in addition to the keyboard, which can differ per application. This part would function in a way that is comparable to Apple’s TouchBar, but the screen part is also large enough to display videos, for example.

Microsoft calls the feature “Wonder Bar,” and it’s part of the Windows 10X software keyboard. The keyboard itself offers, among other things, the possibility to directly enter emoji and animated gifs and there is also support for writing with a stylus. Above that keyboard is a strip on which the applications can display the extra functionality. For example, with the Microsoft Movies and TV app, controls for volume and media playback are visible here. In the emulator, the Wonder Bar did not exactly work flawlessly and in any case, the added value will only become apparent when apps are released that support the functionality. It is an interesting feature and we are curious how it will develop in practice.